The Vinaya (Pawi and Sanskrit, witerawwy meaning "weading out", "education", "discipwine") is de reguwatory framework for de sangha or monastic community of Buddhism based on de canonicaw texts cawwed de Vinaya Pitaka. The teachings of de Gautama Buddha can be divided into two broad categories: Dharma "doctrine" and Vinaya "discipwine".

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At de heart of de Vinaya is a set of ruwes known as Patimokkha in Pāwi and Prātimokṣa in Sanskrit. The Vinaya was orawwy passed down from de Buddha to his discipwes. Eventuawwy, numerous different Vinayas arose in Buddhism, based upon geographicaw or cuwturaw differences and de different schoows of Buddhism dat devewoped. Three of dese are stiww in use: Theravadin (Theravada), Muwasarvastivadin (de schoows of Tibetan Buddhism) and Dharmaguptakin (East Asian Buddhism). The Vinayas are de same in substance and have onwy minor differences.

The Prātimokṣa is traditionawwy a section of de Vinaya. The Theravada Vinaya is preserved in de Pāwi Canon in de Vinaya Piṭaka. The Mūwasarvāstivāda Vinaya is preserved in bof de Tibetan Buddhist canon in de Kangyur, in a Chinese edition, and in an incompwete Sanskrit manuscript. Some oder compwete vinaya texts are preserved in de Chinese Buddhist canon (see: Taishō Tripiṭaka), and dese incwude:

Buddhists in China, Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam fowwow de Dharmaguptaka Vinaya (四分律),[4][5] which has 250 ruwes[6] for de bhikkhus and 348 ruwes[7] for de bhikkhunis. Some schoows in Japan technicawwy fowwow dis, but many monks dere are married, which can be considered a viowation of de ruwes. Oder Japanese monks fowwow de Bodhisattva Precepts onwy, which was excerpted from de Mahāyāna version of Brahmajāwasutra (梵網經). And de Bodhisattva Precepts contains two parts of precepts: for way and cwergy. According to Chinese Buddhist tradition, one who wants to observe de Bodhisattva Precepts for cwergy, must observe de Ten Precepts and High Ordination [Bhikkhu or Bhikkhunī Precepts] first.

Tibetan Buddhists in Tibet, Bhutan, Mongowia, Nepaw, Ladakh and oder pwaces fowwow de Mūwasarvāstivāda Vinaya, which has 253 ruwes for de bhiksus and 364 ruwes for bhiksunis. In addition to dese pratimokṣa ruwes, dere are many suppwementary ones.

The Mahāyāna Bodhisattvabhūmi, part of de Yogācārabhūmi Śāstra, regards it an offense for monastics fowwowing de Mahāyāna to reject de traditionaw ruwes of de Vinaya:[8]

If he dinks or says, "A future buddha has noding to do wif wearning or observing de waw of de Vehicwe of de Śrāvakas," he commits a sin of powwution (kwiṣṭā āpatti).

Louis de La Vawwée-Poussin wrote dat de Mahāyāna rewies on traditionaw fuww ordination of monastics, and in doing so is "perfectwy ordodox" according to de monastic vows and ruwes of de earwy Buddhist traditions:[9]

From de discipwinary point of view, de Mahāyāna is not autonomous. The adherents of de Mahāyāna are monks of de Mahāsāṃghika, Dharmaguptaka, Sarvāstivādin and oder traditions, who undertake de vows and ruwes of de bodhisattvas widout abandoning de monastic vows and ruwes fixed by de tradition wif which dey are associated on de day of deir Upasampad [fuww ordination].

The Buddha constantwy reminds his hearers dat it is de spirit of de ruwes dat counts. On de oder hand, de ruwes demsewves are designed to assure a satisfying wife, and provide a perfect springboard for de higher attainments. Monastics are instructed by de Buddha to wive as "iswands unto demsewves". In dis sense, wiving wife as de vinaya prescribes it is, as one schowar puts it: "more dan merewy a means to an end: it is very nearwy de end in itsewf."[10]

Surrounding de ruwes is a range of texts. Some of dese expwain de origins of de ruwes - it is possibwe to trace de devewopment of de ruwes from responses to specific situations or actions to a generaw codification, uh-hah-hah-hah. There are awso a number of sutta-wike texts dat are more generaw statements about Buddhist doctrine, or dat give biographicaw detaiws of some of de great discipwes and deir enwightenment. Oder sections detaiw how de ruwes are to be appwied, how breaches are to be deawt wif, and how disputes amongst de monks are handwed.

It is dought dat originawwy dere were no ruwes and de Buddha and his discipwes just wived in harmony when dey were togeder. Most of de time dey wouwd have been wandering awone, but every year, during de monsoon season when travewwing became impossibwe, de bhikkhus wouwd come togeder for a few monds. As de sangha became bigger and started accepting peopwe of wesser abiwity who remained unenwightened, it became necessary to begin having ruwes.

It seems dat initiawwy dese were qwite fwexibwe and were adapted to de situation, uh-hah-hah-hah. By de time of de Buddha's deaf dere wouwd have been a body of ruwes bhikkhus were expected to fowwow. In de Mahaparinibbana Sutta de Buddha, as part of his wast teaching, tewws de bhikkhus dat dey can abandon some minor ruwes, but dat dey shouwd stick to de major ones, but dere appears to have been some confusion over which was which. It was derefore decided dat dey wouwd keep aww of de ruwes. Immediatewy after de Buddha's deaf dere was a counciw, at which aww of de teachings were recited, cowwected, and sorted. Legend has it dat de huge vowume of teachings was recited from memory, wif Ananda reciting de dhamma and Upawi reciting de Vinaya.[11]